Coin detecting mechanism



Jan. 20, 1942. A. o. SIMMONS y 2,270,481y

- G01N DETECTING MECHANISM Original Filed March 4, 1934 Patented Jan. 20, 1942 Allan O. Simmons, Chicago, Ill.

Original application March 4, 1934, Serial No. 714,402. Divided and this application' August 6, 1938, Serial No. 223,396

1 Claim.

My invention is directed to a coin detecting mechanism adapted to operate in conjunction with coin controlled devices, and is a division of my copending application Serial No. 714,402, filed March 4, 1934.

One of the common methods of beating mechanisms of the above character has been to ll the coin carrying pocket with a spurious coin built up by progressively adding a plurality of relatively thin wafers until a slug of the correct thickness has been obtained. As the slide is then moved to carry the slug into the device these wafers, or some of them, have been found to slip from the pocket into the mechanism where they become lodged between moving parts to prevent further coaction between the same. Further operation of the machine is then prevented until a service man clears the wafers away, considerable revenue thus being lost while the machine is inoperative.

Consequently it is one of the objects of the invention to provide means which prevents the wafers from lodging themselves between moving parts of the mechanism.

Another object of the invention is to prevent coins which are too small or too large in diameter, too thick or too thin, or coins which are of too soft a material, from operating or clogging the mechanism.

Another object of the invention is to provide a construction whereby spurious coins are not passed through the mechanism but rather are returned to a position to be accessible to the operator for removal.

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby a coin will be returned and will be accessible for removal by the operator in the event that a coin previously inserted has not passed completely through the mechanism to affect a delivery of merchandise or operation Yof the device with which the detecting is associated.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a structure whereby foreign matter inserted into the coin receiving slot will not reach moving parts and thus will not clog the mechanism.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a plug for the coin receiving slo-t, which plug is drawn into such a position when the coin is being progressed by the slide that the insertion of a second coin or of foreign matter will be prevented while the rst coin is being delivered through the mechanism.

Still another object of the invention is to promechanism vide a mechanism of the character describedv which has no adjustable parts.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description and accompanying drawing, in which: f

Fig. 1 is a rear view'of the coin detecting mechanism showing the details thereof;

Fig. 2 is a cross section takenon the line 2 of Fig. 1

Fig. 3 is a front View of the coin slide and carrying means therefor; i

Fig. 4 is a similar vieW to Fig. 3 showing the movement of the parts during the operation of Y the mechanism;

Fig. 5 is a view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the coin carrying slide;

Fig. '7 is a cross section .taken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 8 is a cross section taken :on theline 8-8 of Fig. 3.

While the mechanism shown herein isv described as associated with the adjacentpparts of a vending machine, and lis shown in a vertical position, and while the various structures are shown combined in a single structure to make up a detecting device of maximum efficiency, it is to be understood that it may be adapted to many types of mechanisms, that the structures may be incorporated in a detecting device singly or vin combination, and that the structures may be changed or modified without departing from the spirit or vscope of the invention 'as set `out in the appended claim.

In Figs. 1 and 2 the mechanism is shown mounted upon the rear face of a front plate'orr extends forwardly through the casing' vand has' a hand Wheel I4 fixedly secured to its forward end. The coin receiving Wheel has the usual studI5 extending from the rear surface thereof to operate the device with which it is associated, There are also provided the usual aligning vpins I6 and the usual brakelevers I1 and I.8 which prevent operation of the hand wheel unlessa coin has been deposited in a pocket of the front face of the wheel I2 (see Fig. 5).

'I'he coin detecting mechanism proper comprises a slide element I9 and a supporting housing 20 which affords a slideway for the slide. The housing 29 may be secured to the front plate or casing I in any suitable manner, as by screws 2I. By reference to Fig. 8 it will be seen that the housing 20, with the rear face of casing I0, forms the slideway. The housing has a forwardly extending lip 22 at its upper edge and a similar lip 23 at its lower edge. The lip 22 abuts the rear face of the plate, while the lip 23 interfits with a recess 24 in the plate, this recess imparting rigidity to the junction between the plate and the housing. A further advantage of the recess 24 is the prevention of dirt and wafers the coin pass the tip 38 of lever 36, the tip will meet no abutment and the slide will be permitted to continue through a complete stroke to depositv the coin into the slot 30. If, however, the coin in the pocket is too thick, too thin, or in the form of a washer, the tip will abut, during the progression of the slide, the leading edge thereof, the following wall of the pocket or the wall of the perforation of the washer respectively, and further progression of the slide will be prevented.

Still another detecting lever 40 is shown mounted pivotally on a lug 4I which is upstanding of the housing 20. This lever has a tip 42 which is sharpened and is adapted to bear downwardly against the top of the slide I9 under the influence of the spring 43. The tip 42 is of a breadth sufficiently large to span the top edge becoming lodged between or passing between the plate and housing. The housing is further formed by cutting or otherwise forming a groove 25 along the upper portion of the rear wall thereof. With the foregoing construction it will be seen that two ledges are provided in the slideway, one at -26 and one at 21, and that the corresponding surfaces of the slide I9 will have sliding engagement therewith. The principal purpose of the groove 25 is to receive the thicker, upper portion of the slide (see Fig. 6), which portion establishes a rigid, integral connection between the two portions oi the slide formed by the provision of the coin pocket 28 therein.

In its normal position of rest the slide I9 and its coin pocket 28 are in the position shown in Fig. 3, that is, the pocket is in alignment with a coin insert slot 29 formed in the portion 22 of the housing and in the plate I0. Thus by inserting a coin in the slot it will take a position in the pocket in readiness to be transferred through the mechanism to an outlet slot 30 formed in the bottom 23 of the housing,xfrom which slot it falls into the coin receiving vwheel I2 or into a cash box if a coin receiving Wheel is not used.

Movement of the slide I9 is accomplished herein by a handle 3| which extends forwardly of the plate I0 and which has a rearwardly extending shank 32 securely attached to a lug 33 extending rearwardly of the slide I9. It Will be seen from Fig. 1 that the plate I0 is cut away at 34 to provide for movement of the shank transversely thereof as the handle is drawn to the right of that iigure. Proper return of the slide to a position shown in Fig. 3 is ensured by the tension spring 35 attached at one end to the housing and at the other to the shank 32.

Means is provided herein for testing the coin to detect various characteristics as it is drawn through the mechanism, and for preventing further movement of the slide when these characteristics indicate that a 'spurious coin is in the pocket.

In the present embodiment the detecting means includes a toothed lever 36 which is pivotally mounted upon a lug 31 extending rearwardly of the housing. The tip 38 of the lever extends through a cut away section 38a of the housing and bears against the adjacent face of the slide I9 undel` the iniiuence of the compression spring 39.

The thickness of the pocket 28 is equal to the thickness of the coin for which the machine is built. Therefore when a legitimate coin has been `inserted into the pocket its surface is substantially ush with the surface of the slide. Under these circumstances as the pocket and of the slide.

By reference to Fig. 6 it will be seen that a notch 44 is formed in the slide I9 immediately above the pocket 28. The pocket is built the same height as the coin of the denomination for which the mechanism is designed and thus when a legitimate coin is carried therein the tip 42 will ride over the notch 44. However, if no coin is in the pocket, or, if the coin is too small in diameter or of linoleum or some other soft material, it will abut the vertical face 44a of the notch or dig into the linoleum, and thus prevent further movement of the slide. In the event that the soft slug should rotate in the pocket, then the tip 42 will permit progression of the slide until the face 44a is'reached, when the above abutment will take place because of the relatively lower position of the tip due 4to its having sunk into the body of the material from which the slug is made.

In the event that the coin is too large indiameter, it coacts with an extension 45 on the lever 40. This extension has at its extreme end a tip 46 which presents an abutment face 46a, which face is lowered into a position to abut the leading face of the shank 32 of the handle and the lug 33 when the tip 42 is raised abnormally as it rides over the edge of the large coin.

An additional feature of the extension 45 and the tip 46 is that it effects a positive stopping of the slide action by its abutment with the shank 32 and lug 33. This affords considerable protection to the sharpened, relatively fragile tip 42 by relieving it of the 'burden of continual abutment with the resulting wear and breakage.

Furthermore, due to the leverage afforded by the extension 45, slightdeviations in the size of the coin will be augmented and thus cause more positive engagement between the face 46 and the shank 32 and lug 33.

Further testing of the coin `is accomplished by a magnet 41 mounted upon a lug 48 which extends rearwardly of the housing, as shown in Figure 1. The poles of the magnet extend through a cutaway portion 41a of the housing wall and are so positioned that they form one wall of the slot 30 with the result that all coins must pass thereby before leaving the detecting mechanism. If the coin is of some magnetic material then further progression to the coin released mechanism will be prevented.

As previously stated, serious difficulties are encountered if thin, wafer-like slugs become lodged between moving parts of the mechanism. First, the relative movability of the parts is prevented, and second, the parts may become sprung and their proper alignment may thus be detrimentally ajected. The parts of the present mechanism most likely to be thus affected are generally the slide I9 and coin receiving wheel I2 or like mechanism.

It will be readily understood that the main protection against vthe above disadvantage is to prevent the wafers from falling out of the pocket. This is accomplished herein by interfltting the lower lip 23 on the housing into the groove 24 in the front plate l0 to eliminate a straight line abutment through which the foremost wafer may slip. Additionally there is provided on each side of the pocket 28 and on the forward face of the slide a series of protuberances 47. A series of parallel grooves 48 is drilled in the rear face of the casing I0, each groove being aligned with an aligned pair of the protuberances 41. Here again a straight line abutment between the slide and the plate is eliminated to prevent the possibility of wafers slipping therebetween during progression of the slide through its operative stroke.

Similarly the real1 surface of the coin wheel I2 is provided with studs 49 and 50, which studs are adapted to intert with an annular groove 5l (Fig. 2) formed in the rear face of the casing l0.

It will be understood that the above disadvantage may be eliminated by any irregular surface formation of the abutting surfaces of the parts involved, so long as they conform to the conguration of one another and a straight line abutment is avoided.

In order that dirt or foreign matter may not be plugged into the mechanism to jam it, and in order that a second coin may not be inserted through the slot 29 prematurely to jam it, the present device is so constructed that the portion of the slide to the left of the pocket 28 closes the coin insert slot 29 once the slide has been of the housing 2U is cut away so that the right v end of the slide moves entirely across the edge to completely remove any foreign matter which might have collected in the slideway.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

In a coin detecting mechanism, a casing affording a slideway, a slide movable through said slideway, said slide being in height equal to the I height of a coin for which the mechanism is designed, a coin carrying pocket formed in said slide, a notch formed in the upper edge of said slide over said pocket, said notch having an abutment face directed toward the leading end of the slide as it is moved in a coin delivery direction, a lever pivotally associated with said casing, said lever having a tip yieldably urged against the upper edge of the slide and having an elognated portion on the other side of its pivot, said elongated portion terminating in an abutment face and being adapted to be moved in a reverse direction to the movement of said tip when the latter is urged into said notch, and means on said slide for engaging said abutment face when the latter is moved in response to movement of said tip by a 4coin in said pocket as said slide is progressed in a coin delivery direction.

ALLAN O. SIMMONS. 

